News Blog

Keeping you up to date with what I am doing or have been doing, this page will be updated regularly. The
snippets may direct you to other pages for more info, or may be self-contained.

February 24 2019

A trip to Devon to get pictures for a couple of forthcoming magazine articles took in The Robey Trust's collection of early steam
engines in Tavistock – fitted with a variety of governors – Brunel's Royal
Albert Bridge at Saltash, Finch Foundry brought back to life by the National Trust, and Agatha Christie's holiday retreat at Greenway overlooking the Dart estuary. The entire trip took place during
those few days of brilliant weather in late February with warm temperatures and clear blue skies– better conditions for photography than we get on many a summer's day.

January 22nd 2019

It was quite a surprise to discover that there is a rare steam engine almost on my doorstep! I first visited the Wadworth Brewery in
Devizes some years ago when I was working for the now-defunct Wiltshire Magazine, but the engine was not part of the tour I was given at that time. It was built by George Adlam & Sons of
Fishponds, Bristol, and installed in the brewery in 1900. Its working life came to an end in 1932 when electricity was installed – the blue electric motor can be seen at the top of the picture – and
it stood idle until restored in 2004, since when it has been turned over only occasionally. The engine governor is of a surprisingly basic design for an engine of that vintage, a design which has
much in common with James Watt's original governor in the late 18th century. Taken with my Canon 5D MkIV and 14mm lens.

January 1 2019

What a great way to start the New Year – and get the camera out for the first time since my heart attack. A trip to Westonzoyland Pumping Station on the Somerset
Levels, with all their engines in steam, and a beautiful day to boot, took my centrifugal governors project a few paces further on. The unusual governor on the 1886 single-cylinder engine, built
locally by W & F Wills of Bridgwater, was a design I had never seen before. My thanks to the volunteers on site for all their help and advice. Seeing the 1861 Easton Amos Land Drainage
Machine running is an awesome experience, well worth the journey on its own. The story of our visit – with plenty of pictures of course – appeared in the March issue of Vintage
Spirit magazine less than six weeks later. Dinner in the Marco Pierre White restaurant at the Mercure Bridgwater was pretty impressive as well!

November 30 2018

Contracts were signed this month for two new books, both of which are scheduled to appear in the second half of 2019 – my illustrated
history of the world's transporter bridges, and a book about the 1896 Light Railways Act which accidentally gave birth to the heritage railway movement more than half a century after it became law.
Transporter Bridges – an illustrated history will be published in hardback by Pen & Sword Transport Books, while The 1896 Light Railways Act – the law that
made heritage railways possible will be published in softbackby
Amberley Books. These are my proposed covers – but of course the publishers may have quite different opinions.

November 1 2018

Now slowly recovering from the heart attack in early September which has temporarily clipped my wings somewhat, my latest project, exploring the importance of the 1896
Light Railways Act which kick-started the modern heritage movement, has prompted me to digitise a whole load of images I took forty and more years ago. This is ex-LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 locomotive
Galatea as a derelict scrapyard wreck with just about every salvagable part already removed. The hulk was rescued from Woodham Brothers' scrapyard in Barry in 1980, but was not rebuilt by
West Coast Railways and returned to steam until five years ago.

August 22 2018

Indulging my passion for anything power by steam, yet again, a run on the Mid-Hants Railway – the Watercress Line – seemed an ideal way to spend a pleasant August day.
Two trains were running – one hauled by ex-Southern Railways 'Schools Class' No.925 4-4-0 'Cheltenham', the other by an Ivatt 2MT tank engine. In this view 'Cheltenham' has just arrived at Alresford
Station.

July 13 2018

Normally we get better weather in France than at home, but this year, of course, was the exception – the UK was just as hot. This is
the ancient village church of Saint-Jean-de-Cole in the Dordogne, not far from our summer 2018 base at Villars. On the way there we re-visited work on the rebuilding of the Rochefort-sur-Mer
transporter bridge to get some more pictures for my forthcoming book.

May 25 2018

Just back from a week in the Shetland Islands where we were blessed with excellent weather for photography. Only one dull day – referred to as 'Jimmy Perez weather' in
recognition of the dull dreich conditions under which the BBC films the Shetland tv series. Otherwise, clear crisp light, and some stunning scenery. The pictures will appear in the next two
issues of Scotland Magazine.

January 1st 2018

My article on Orkney's heritage, which was the reason behind our trip to the islands in July last year, is published over nine pages in the January issue of
Scotland Magazine, out now. The article opens with this view of the famous rock stack, the Old Man of Hoy, reproduced across a double-page spread. The picture was
taken on a Canon 5D MkIII with a 300mm lens from the deck of the Northlink Ferry MVHamnavoeas we sailed towards Stromness. Good job I got the picture on the way north, as we returned south a week later in atrocious weather when the island of Hoy was almost invisible
in the cloud and spray, with the boat rocking and rolling in the storm. We had, however, enjoyed a week of near-perfect weather for photography and exploring.

November 6th 2017

A massive decision has been made – my renowned collection of Victorian photography and photographic ephemera is being put up for auction in the spring. The collection
comprises, amongst other things, the largest collection of thermoplastic Union Cases in the UK – including many by John Smith, the only known British union case manufacturer – hundreds of cased and
framed inages from the 1840s to the 1860s, a collection of Roger Fenton's Crimean War images, some of Francis Frith's views of the Nile Valley, and a rare Julia Margaret Cameron print titled 'Love'.
Amongst the early daguerreotypes which will be included in the sale is a pair of very rare framed portraits by Berlin photographer Gustave Oehme – this one is identified as Louise Brause, the other
is of her sister. Oehme is believed to have been taught the process by Daguerre himself. Daguerreotypes by Kilburn, Mayall, Claudet, and others, and a rare stereo daguerreotype showing the interior
of the Great Hall of the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris are also to be sold. The sale will be held at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in Cirencester.

October 12th 2017

My feature on Clyde shipbuilding has just been published in the latest issue of Scotland Magazine. Photography for the project was completed in early July with a visit to Ferguson Marine at Port
Glasgow, the only civilian shipyard still operational on the river, which was saved from closure by Jim McColl of Clyde Blowers Capital – seen here in front of the partly completed hull of the new
CalMac ferry MV Glen Sannox. The vessel will be launched in November; her sister ship – to be known as MV Claymore – will follow in spring 2018. Some of the pictures for the
article were taken from the top of a cherry-picker looking down on the two partly-built ships.

September 13th 2017

Every one of our trips to France has to be punctuated with a few chateaux visits. The Chateau at Cormatin in Burgundy was one of this year's favourites. It has some of the
most lavish ceilings in the region. This is the ceiling in the Gold Room. Much of the rest of our trip was spent visiting vineyards, and then sampling their creations back at our gite.

August 30th 2017

We spent a wonderful day at Guédelon in Burgundy watching a rich and varied assortment of craftsmen working on the 'new' 13th century castle. Everything needed to
build the castle is made on site, using only the techniques and tools which would have been available to mediaeval castle builders. Here the blacksmith is at work forging nails and other metalwork as
the building work progresses.

July 22nd 2017

We are now back after our journey to Orkney – a 1,700 mile round-trip taking pictures for future issues of both Scotland Magazine and
Vintage Spirit. The weather was kind to us most of the way and the long list of subjects for my camera were all duly ticked off. This image is of the Italian Chapel on Lamb
Holm, built by Italian POWs at Camp 60 in the closing years of World War 2. The chapel, built out of two converted Nissen Huts, has become one of the 'must visit' sites on the islands. Inside
the prisoners created the painted illusion of a large ornate church. The building has since been restored on several occasions both by returning POWs and their children. Taken with a Canon 5D MkIII
and 14mm f/2.8 lens.

June 19th 2017

We finally made it to Middlesbrough and enjoyed a couple of visits to the Tees Transporter Bridge – one really sunny day, the other less so – and came away with all
the pictures I need for that chapter of the book. Thanks to the bridge team for arranging 'access all areas' for us, and answering my many questions. Now the job of writing it all up can get
underway. Plan A is to have the whole project completed by September. I shall miss it when it is finished! What will I do next, I wonder?

June 2nd 2017

The Transporter Bridges project is progressing really well now that we are back from the mega-trip to Spain and France. Wonderful weather for photography came with us
all the way, and we were aided and abetted by experts at each bridge we visited. Javier Goitia, Consultant Engineer on the Puente Bizkaia in Portugalete near Bilbao took the left-hand image of me
just after I ventured through a small hatch to get outside the protected pedestrian walkway and take some close up images of the bridge's travelling frame as it passed just beneath the girder on
which I was standing. The Nervión river seemed a long way below me! My favourite image of the bridge itself – as the gondola docked at Getxo/Las Arenas – will, I hope, eventually be used on the cover
of the book.

April 28th 2017

Five months down the line, I am now pretty much back to fighting fitness – a good job as we have a hectic few months ahead doing the photography for the
Transporter Bridges book and for my regular commitments to Scotland Magazine. That will include trips to Spain and France, to the Orkney Islands,
and to chronicle the building of CalMac's new ferries on the Clyde. This picture was one of a series taken in the garden to see if I was yet able to control the weight of the camera. I'm pleased to
say the arm and shoulder proved up to the challenge. Watch out for further posts as these projects progress. Looks like we'll get a good apple crop this year.

January 8th 2017

In late November I had a bad fall, severely breaking my right arm and shoulder, so have been somewhat out of circulation since then. Never one to sit idly watching daytime
tv, I have become adept at typing with three fingers of my left hand – allowing me to keep up with my Scotland Magazine commitments – as well as working on a project which
does not require trying to lift a camera. The resulting book,Edwardian Railways in Postcards, draws on my extensive collection of cards to weave together the stories of both the Edwardian railway network and the postcard-collecting craze which swept Britain at the time. The
book is organised on a regional basis, exploring the huge range of postcards available to travellers across Britain. Along the way, I have found myself expanding my industrial postcards collection,
so another book might happen some day soon.

November 17th 2016

The third volume of my Britain's Industrial Heritage series – due to be published in May 2017 by PiXZ/Halsgrove at £9.99 – has now
been renamedIndustries Which Made Britain Triumph. I am currently working my way through the page
proofs. The book follows the same pattern as the first two volumes, with a very different but equally eclectic mix of subjects as the earlier volumes. This time the themes are Paper & Print,
The Farming Industry, Roads & Bridges, Road Transport, Fairgrounds, China, Tiles and Glass, and Computers, Codebreakers and Communications. As with the earlier volumes, there is the expected
and extensive gazetteer of places to visit across Great Britain.

September 28th 2016

My latest book –Wigan Pier - The facts and fictions of an enduring Music-hall joke – is published at last. First copies arrived yesterday and I will be signing books at the Wigan Model Railway Show this weekend. The book – 144 pages illustrated in colour
throughout – is published by Lightmoor Press and is priced at £9.99. First critical reaction to it is very encouraging. The last couple of months have
been very busy both with getting the book ready for the printers and completing the photography for the third volume of myBritain's Industrial
Heritageseries. That book is now at the final checking stage and should be going to the publishers within the next month or so. This month also saw
my articleAll Aboard Le Truffadoupublished inThe
Railway Magazine. The photography and research for that was completed during a recent trip to the Lot in France.

July 18th 2016

This infra-red image of five ageing photographers was taken in Cheshire at Jodrell Bank's Discovery Centre and marked quite an occasion. The five photographers all
completed their studies in photographic technology 50 years earlier at UMIST, Manchester, in July 1966. Yours truly is second from the left. The original group which started the course in 1963
numbered just twelve and the reunion brought together five of the six we managed to make contact with. Sadly a few are no longer with us. Some of us had not met since leaving UMIST! We don't plan to
leave it another 50 years before repeating the event! Photo: David Ruaux

June 5th 2016

A fresh look for the website as summer approaches and the first change to the design for about three years. Over the next few weeks the picture galleries will be
updated to reflect my recent work, but in the meantime the images in the slide shows have been made a bit bigger. Sadly, however, it all looks quite different on an iPad to a desktop computer as
iPads still can't do Flash.

May 31st 2016

Just back from one of my trips to Scotland taking pictures and doing research for futureScotland
Magazinearticles, where I met up for lunch with an old school friend – last seen the day I left school 53 years ago – and he assured me that the sun
has shone constantly in Scotland since the SNP came to government. Apart from one day, it seems he was right. Everyone and everything seemed to be out sunbathing, including a young common seal
basking on rocks which gave us no more than a cursory glance as we made our way along the Fife Coastal Path.

April 26th 2016

While putting the finishing touches to my forthcoming Wigan Pier book, due out in September, I finally realised one of my early ambitions which was to have a stick of
Wigan Pier rock on the Contents Page. This particular stick of rock, however, exists only on my computer and was realised with generous help from an unlikely source – the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing
of the US Air Force at RAF Lakenheath. One of their photographers had taken a picture of three sticks of 'Southwold Pier' rock and it had been posted on their website. With their permission, I
downloaded the image and with a bit of judicious photoshopping, replaced 'Southwold' with 'Wigan'. The lettering was assembled from several other sticks of rock to look as authentic as possible.
Keep it as our little secret, though, as I would hate anyone to think I had been cheating!

April 8th 2016

Local band The Cheverellites commissioned me to design and photograph the sleeve for their second CD Fire in the
Night. The album is launched at a party tonight. The main image is of a storm gathering over the hills of Glencoe in Scotland. I wish them every success with the new album.

April 4th 2016

I have just got confirmation that my new book Wigan Pier - The facts and fictions of an enduring Music-hall joke will be published in early
October by Lightmoor Press with a cover price of £9.99. The book explores the history of George Formby's mythical Wigan Pier as well as the small coal
tippler on the banks of the Leeds Liverpool Canal which later became known as Wigan Pier. The legacies of both George Formbys – father and son – and George Orwell have coloured Wigan's history for a
century and a quarter. 2016 is the probable 125th anniversaryn of George Formby's first stories about the seaside pier in the middle of industrial Lancashire, so what better time to publish a new
book.

March 23rd 2015

The third book in my Britain's Industrial Heritage series will feature heavily on roads, bridges and road transport, so I have been exploring
motor museums – taking in the Black Country Living Museum, the recently re-named British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire's Cotswold Motor Museum, Glasgow's amazing Riverside
Museum and the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Alongside this, I am currently gathering material for a feature on the early years of the Scottish motor industry for Scotland
Magazine, so have been especially interested in the '3 As' – Albion, Argyll and Arrol-Johnson – who were at the forefront of that industry. This image shows a rare Albion touring car
from 1909 displayed at Gaydon.

March 15th 2015

It has been a busy month, with work on the new book progressing apace. So far, my travels have taken me to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, the Red House
Glass Cone in Wordsley and the Iron Bridge at Ironbridge. My article on the Fakenham Gasworks Museum finally appeared in Vintage Spirit, and I have just completed a new
piece for VS – In Search of Wigan Pier – which will hopefully appear around the time my new book on Wigan Pier is published later this year. More about that soon. The image, here,
was taken during a glass-blowing demonstration at the Red House Glass Cone – the largest and most complete of the four surviving glass cones in Britain. A fascinating place and well worth a
visit.

February 25th 2016

As can be seen from my March Picture of the Month, research visits for the third volume of my Britain's Industrial Heritage
series of books is progressing apace. As well as visiting Bletchley Park and the National Museum of Compuing, both for the book and a forthcoming magazine feature on my late aunt's wartime work at
Bletchley, our trip in late February included a day at Frogmore Paper Mill – the oldest mechanised paper mill in the world. Paper is still made there on a 110 year old machine. Frogmore's story will
also feature in the new book, and in a forthcoming feature for Vintage Spirit.

January 20th 2016

It is just one of those things, but despite having lived in the south-west now for getting on for ten years, I had never seen the Clifton Suspension Bridge –
Brunel's first bridge design, produced when he was only 24, but one he never saw to completion. It opened to traffic in 1864, five years after Brunel's early death. One of the chapters in the third
volume of my Britain's Industrial Heritage series will look at 'Roads and Bridges', so that gap in my experience was filled today, one of the first truly sunny days of the
year. The as-yet-untitled third volume should be complete by the end of the autumn and out some time early in 2017.

December 2nd 2015

I first started making my own Christmas cards for clients, friends and family in 1966, so this year's card, of the Victorian Gallopers at Carter's Steam Fair, is my
50th – a sobering thought as, unless Christmas comes more than once a year, I must be getting old. That first card back in 1966 was a very limited edition – I then had just two clients for my
photography – and was a monochrome view of the ruins of Crossraguel Abbey in Ayrshire, hand printed on to photographic paper and mounted on to card. Today's cards are entirely and relatively easily
produced on the computer, of course – a good thing as the 2015 run will exceed 100

November 17th 2015

Got word today that the second volume of myBritain's Industrial Heritageseries, is to be titledOur Industrial Past - More of Britain's Industrial Heritage.It
will be published by PiXZ/Halsgrove in April 2016 – same format as the first one, 144page hardback illustrated in full colour. This time the subjects are just as eclectic as in volume one, covering
everything from The Arms Industry to the last surviving example in England of a small town gasworks. It also explores the slate industry, the world of the thatcher, the fishing industry, and some of
Britain's maritime history. The final cover design is illustrated.

I am already working on volume 3 which will explore Roads and Bridges, Farming, All the Fun of the Fair, China Glass and Tiles, and numerous other themes. If
everything goes according to plan, that will be completed by the end of next year so may see the light of day early 2017.

September 6th 2015

While on holiday in the Dordogne, we spent some time on one of the few standard gauge steam railways in the south of France. Known as 'Le Trouffadou', the line was opened in 1880 and originally used to transport timber, salt, and truffles. It played a key military role when revived during the Second
World War, and since the early 1990s has been developing as a heritage line. Passengers travel in open carriages – more like cattle trucks with seats – which gives spectacular views of the Dordogne
valley, but creates pretty unpleasant conditions when the train passes through each of the line's five tunnels, the longest of which is more than a quarter of a mile. Here, the line's Alsace-built
tank engine takes on water at Martel alongside an East-German 2-10-0 class BR50 locomotive.

August 10th 2015

Just back from a whistle-stop tour working on a number ofVintage Spiritfeatures, and taking the final images forWigan Pier - the facts and fictions of an enduring Victorian jokeandMore of Britain's Industrial Heritage. The trip took in the Hereford
Waterworks Museum – with all their engines in operation – The Slate Museum in Llanberis, Wigan Pier, the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke, the Thursford Collection of fairground rides, organs and
traction engines and the amazing Fakenham Gasworks Museum. The first drafts of both books have been submitted to a publisher, so fingers crossed they like them. They will, I hope, be published during
2016. I get so much fun out of projects like these – and learn so much – that you can't really describe it as work. Watching trraditional skills being employed by experts – such as the splitting of
slates or the hand-painting of pottery, is really fascinating.

May 27th 2015

I first visited the Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset forty years ago, and my most recent visit was about fifteen years ago. What a transformation – today the world's
largest collection of tanks and armoured vehicles is displayed in several large modern halls. This image of the last surviving First World War Mark I tank, however, exists only on my computer. Four
separate photographs were used to create it – the tank tableau was photographed in the museum itself requiring a very long exposure as it is displayed making its way over a recreation of a trench
system at night. The flames came from a burning cornfield in the Scottish borders, the foreground from the tank training ground on Salisbury Plain, and the dark leaden sky from Broadford Bay on the
Isle of Skye. Together they give a sense of what it might have looked like going into action in 1916.

April 17th 2015

First new project of the year took me to Bursledon Brickworks in Hampshire yesterday to work on a piece for Vintage Spirit magazine. The
biggest surprise was finding that they have the only surviving operational example of a single-cylinder horizontal steam engine by John Wood of Wigan. Having lived in and around Wigan for 37 years
before moving south in 2006, I knew where Wood's foundries had been, but was completely unaware that any of his engines still survive. The engine is steamed regularly, driving the same huge
brickmaking machine that it was installed to drive in 1897. The engine itself dates from around 1885. Bursledon actually have a second one in store awaiting restoration.

January 28th 2015

After 42 books in 41 years, I actually saw one of my books being printed today. I was at Gomer Press in South West Wales following the production ofThe Victorian Photographs of Dr. Thomas Keith and John Forbes Whitefrom laser-etched plate-making through to four-colour printing
on Gomer's awesome Heidelberg Speedmaster press. The last time I saw litho plates being made, acids were involved and hands got wet – not so today. When I commented on the speed at which the sheets
were being printed, I was told that, as it was only a short print run, the presses were at nothing like their full speed! By the time you read this, the book will be on its way through the
sewing and binding stages. My pictures show us checking the sheets for colour accuracy, and the dust-jacket getting its final inspection.

January 6th 2015

First posting of the New Year is an early glimpse of what The Victorian Photographs of Dr. Thomas Keith and John
Forbes Whitewill look like when it is published in April, put together from the first colour-corrected proofs received just before Christmas. The
project is in the early stages of production at Gomer Press in South Wales at the moment, and when the presses roll for the first time, I will be there to see it all start to come together. It has
been a long road – eight years have passed since the idea of the book was first raised – but one advantage of the timescale has been that high quality colour printing is now much more affordable than
it was.

November 14th 2014

My Coldharbour Mill feature is in the December issue ofVintage Spirit– spread over five pages with a couple of dozen pictures, focusing largely on the mill's wonderful collection of working steam engines. You will not be surprised to read that the
engines feature strongly in my forthcoming book Britain's Industrial Heritage due out next year.

November 1st 2014

Publication ofThe Victorian Photographs of Dr. Thomas Keith and John Forbes Whitereceived a major boost today with the announcement that the project has been supported by a generous grant from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
The printers have been selected – The Gomer Press in South Wales – and publication of the 144 page hardback book, illustrated throughout in colour, is scheduled for April next year, priced at just
£20 per copy. Pre-orders for the book are now being taken – register your interest through the 'Contact' page.

October 29th 2014

The page proofs forBritain's Industrial Heritagearrived today, so some serious checking and compiling the index will fill the coming days. Like my other three titles for PiXZ/Halsgrove, this new book will be 144 pages
hardback, with the usual mixture of historic images and my own photography, but what makes me feel old is the fact that some of the 'historic' images were taken by me at the start of my career half a
century ago. All my favourite themes are there – canals, steam engines, sailing ships, steamships, plus the iron and steel industries, manufacturing, and a lot more. We have visited many places while
doing the research and photography for the book, and as usual, met some great people. It's not really like work, is it? The final cover selection has not been made yet, but this is my
choice.

September 18th 2014

The Once-Ubiquitous Paddle Steamer is published today. Like my previous two books published by
PiXZ/Halsgrove – 2012's Preserved Steam-Powered Machines and last year's Edwardian Mining in Old Postcards – it is available as a 144-page
hardback, priced at £9.99. The book explores the history of British paddlers from Henry Bell's PSComet to the rebuilding of PSMedway Queen and Noel Donnelly's little PSMonarch. Illustrated throughout in colour, and predominantly using my own original
photographs taken while visiting all the surviving vessels, the book also contains many historic images from my image library as well as drawing on the picture collections of several other
collectors, enthusiasts and fellow photographers.

September 6th 2014

Having been invited to give them a talk, I spent a very interesting day in Sherborne with the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society. My broadly-based talk ranged
from an exploration of what the experience of being photographed was like in the Victorian era, through to the challenges of picture research, the value of careful and detailed captioning, and
the pitfalls – without a detailed caption – of trying to remember when a picture was taken and who the people are who feature in it. I called my talk Me and George Mackay Brown, using
as my starting point, a poorly captioned photograph taken in 1972 when I was lucky enough to meet the celebrated Orcadian poet, with whose work I had been fascinated for some time. I wish I had that
amount of hair today!

August 14th 2014

It always pleases me when a magazine presents my features really well, and the six-page piece on Trencherfield Mill's great engine in the September issue ofVintage Spiritvery definitely falls into that 'pleasing' category – a layout which really does justice to
my pictures. We were back in Wigan last Sunday to see the engine in steam – an experience in sight, sound and smell which never fails to impress.

July 23rd 2014

A very big decision was made this week! For the past several years I have been trying to find a commercial publisher for my latest photographic history monograph – The VictorianPhotographs of Dr. Thomas Keith and John Forbes White– but the high cost of acquiring image
reproduction rights has made them all run away. As a commercial project, it is just not viable as the cover price necessary to return a profit for the publishers, Amazon, bookshops, etc, would be
just too high for the average book-buyer to even contemplate. This has not been helped by my decision to illustrate as much as possible from original salt prints, and to print throughout in full
colour to capture their wonderful quality and character. Thus do authors become publishers. Self-publishing the book cuts out all the middle-men, and should allow me to publish a very limited edition
– 500 copies – at an affordable price without sacrificing quality or content. I am hoping to be able to market it for between £25 and £30 + P&P, the final price depending on what I have to pay UK
national collections to use their images. Watch this space – some time towards the middle of next year, the book will be published in hardback, with me handling the distribution as well as production
and content. It will not be available in bookshops. If the project interests you, and you wish your name to go on my mailing list as a potential purchaser, let me know via the contacts page
and I will keep you posted. Thirty six copies have been spoken for already, so only 464 more to go!

July 1st 2014

My extended trip to Scotland last September gave me the opportunity to work on several features for both Scotland Magazine
and Vintage Spirit as well as getting pictures forBritain's Industrial Heritage.My exploration of the Scottish Maritime Museum's sites at Irvine and Dumbarton feature
in the July issue of Vintage Spirit. The building which houses the main exhibits at Irvine was once the engine shop of Alexander Stephens' Linthouse Yard at Govan on the
Clyde, and was dismantled, moved and reassembled on the Irvine site.

May 28th 2014

Just back from a fascinating trip to Coldharbour Mill, a working woollen mill and museum in North Devon, doing a piece for Vintage Spirit as
well as a few more pictures forBritain's Industrial
Heritage.If this mill was not tucked so far out of the way, it would be heaving with visitors, because it is a really interesting
place, with well-informed staff and volunteers to bring the story of Devon's woollen industry to life. Photographed by available light on a Canon 5D MkIII, 24mm lens, under lighting conditions which
would have been impossible just a few years ago. The camera's sensor was wound up to ISO 10,000, with minimal noise in the resulting images.

April 28th 2014

After more than ten years working for Scotland Magazine, I finally get my first cover picture – on the May 2014 issue out today – to go along
with my 10-page feature on the Battle of Bannockburn. The newly restored statue of Robert the Bruce which is the centrepiece of the battlefield site was created in 1964 to mark the 650th anniversary
of the battle. Coming back to take pictures of the statue 50 years after I first photographed it, I could not resist the opportunity to put on the replica of Bruce's helmet in the visitor centre. A
very heavy item of headgear – but just a small fraction of the total weight Bruce wore into battle – the helmet and its protective chain-mail seemed much lighter on my head than in my hand. Thanks to
the local National Trust for Scotland staff for their help and support.

April 12th 2014

An excellent trip last week taking pictures for my next bookBritain's Industrial
Heritage We visitedBlists Hill, Paradise Silk Mill in Macclesfield, and the amazing Trencherfield Mill steam
engine in Wigan. The Paradise Mill and Trencherfield Mill images will shortly appear alongside my articles in Vintage Spirit magazine. It is ironic that after
photographing the Trencherfield engine - the biggest working steam engine in the world - for more than forty years, I finally get around to writing about it now I have moved 200 miles away. Last time
I photographed it, however, it was painted red, and has since been completely rebuilt thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, during which the restorers discovered that green was its original
colour. Photographed using my Contax 645 with Phase One back and Zeiss's amazing 35mm Distagon lens. For more information on Britain's Industrial Heritage click on the book title.

March 21st 2014

Visiting the private Musée des Arts Forains – the museum of fairgrounds – in the Bercy district of Paris last October as part of the 25th Annual Symposium of the
Daguerreian Society of America was a fabulous and unforgettable experience. I hope I have captured some of the magic of the place in my profusely illustrated 8-page feature in the April 2014 issue of
Vintage Spirit magazine. Two pages from the feature are illustrated here. This project really benefitted from the low light capability of the Canon 5D MkIII.

March 4th 2014

Was invited to give a short talk at the inaugural meeting of the Cheverell Camera Club – seemed to go down well. The group, covering a wide range of abilities and
expectations, has been set up as a forum for exchanging ideas, sharing expertise, and having a good time. The Club plans to meet on the first Thursday of each month in The New Pavilion at
7.30pm.

March 4th 2014

It's a hard job, but someone has to do it – as part of the photography for my next bookBritain's Industrial Heritagewhich will be published in 2015, I was keen to explore the current expansion of the micro-brewery
industry as we all seek out beers with a bit more flavour and eschew the often-bland beers made by multi-nationals. Luckily there is a micro-brewery just down the road from where we live – The
Three Daggers Brewery in Edington, Wiltshire – and they were happy to let me in on the secrets of beer-making. Of course the product had to be sampled, and their Blond Ale is a drink to die
for! For more information on Britain's Industrial Heritage click on the book title.

STILL AVAILABLE

The Victorian Photographs of Dr. Thomas Keith and John Forbes White is still available from John Hannavy Publishing price £20.00 +
P&P.

To order a copy, use the Contacts page.

Published by PiXZ/Halsgrove in October 2017, price £9.99, is Edwardian Railways in Postcards a celebration both of the railways themselves and of
the art of the postcard photographers, colourists and publishers. Click on the book cover, below to log on to Amazon.co.uk where you can see all of John Hannavy's currently
available books.﻿